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Today was a perfect summer day. Woke up early and beat the sun to the beach for some sunrise yoga (i’m sounding especially hippy today), went for a walk on the beach with an old friend, and sat in our backyard and ate lunch with my husband. As he swiftly drifted off into dreamland, I got to play in the kitchen.

He’s going to kill me for this one….but he looks so content!

I learned from a classmate of mine that almond milk can very easily be made in the nutribullet. While I believed her, i didn’t believe just how easy it could be. Simple simple simple and you end up with the most delicious, wholesome dairy-free and protein-rich milk! (it scares me sometimes just how excited I get about these things)

vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds

2 cups water

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp honey (or more to taste)

1 large pinch salt

1. soak the almonds and water in the nutribullet cup overnight

2. drain the water, add another 2 cups water to the almonds, along with the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and salt. here’s where you can get creative with amounts and make your milk exactly how you like it.

3. blend for about 1-2 minutes until it gets all nice and frothy

4. refrigerate, pour and enjoy!

I love using this as a base for my frozen banana and spinach smoothies in the morning. Add in some flax and chia seeds and a nutritious, filling breakfast is served. And the best part about it is you only have one cup to clean after it’s all said and done.

Joe and I are off to the Getty Villa and then to my mom and dad’s house for the annual St. Patrick’s Day feast!

I have developed a wonderfully delicious, but dangerous habit. Cake in the afternoon. There is something incredibly relaxing about having a cup of tea and a slice of sweet sometime between lunch and dinner, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. That is, until the reality (panic, rather) of “I have a wedding in Hawaii in May” sets in. Yesterday, I opened the fridge in search of a little snack and instead just eating the blackberries I eyed right out of the carton, I decided to take a perfectly healthy option and make it into a cake. Que sera, sera.

This cake is a wonderful afternoon cake (yes, that is a new category in my world). It is light, tart and sweet, but not too sweet and the whole blackberries can almost for a second make you think you’re eating something healthy. You’re not. Please see ingredients below.

blackberry buttermilk cake

(adapted from Food & Wine Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (I make a non-dairy buttermilk by mixing just under 1/2 cup almond milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar and letting it sit for about 5 minutes before use)

1 small carton blackberries

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees. prepare a 9 inch round cake pan (i spray mine with Pam baking spray, but the less processed way would be with some softened butter and some flour)

2. mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

3. in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the 2/3 cup sugar and butter until light and fluffy

4. beat in the egg and vanilla

5. at a low speed, add half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour mixture until just combined

6. pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top

7. scatter the blackberries over the top of the cake, pressing them lightly into the batter

9. bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean

10. transfer the cake to a cooling rack, then flip back around to present the cake (add some whipped cream and some extra berries and you’re ready to rock and roll! i skipped the whipped cream in an attempt to stay away from dairy, but it would’ve been delicious)

Make a cup of tea, cut yourself a warm slice and enjoy your afternoon treat!